Tottenham Hotspur made it three defeats from three in the Premier League this afternoon after they dropped points at home to Aston Villa.
Let’s take a look at how the individual players got on:
(Photo by Julian Finney/Getty Images)
Tottenham Player Ratings vs Aston Villa
Guglielmo Vicario – 8 – Had one nervy moment when he let Bailey’s shot slip underneath his fingers, but the post saved his blushes. Apart from that, Vicario came up with a number of really smart stops and was quick off his line to sniff out trouble a few times. Top goalkeeper.
Pedro Porro – 7 – A mixed game for Pedro. He was different class in the first 30 minutes, including a lovely ball over the top and some dangerous play in and around the box. Almost scored late on in the game too. But he did give the ball away in some extremely dangerous positions and his set-piece delivery was average at best today.
Emerson Royal – 6.5 – Difficult to mark him today. Overall, I thought he did very well. Tottenham’s second-choice right-back filling in at centre-back, 90 per cent of his work was spot on. Comfortable in possession, carried the ball well, but eventually went to sleep a little to let Ollie Watkins in.
Ben Davies – 6 – The bar is a little higher for Davies seeing as he had a bit of experience in the centre of defence. Again, I don’t think he was awful, but he just doesn’t have the traits needed to play there every week. Lost Torres at the corner in what was a mismatch at the best of times.
Destiny Udogie – 7 – At times in the first half he was playing almost like a second striker. Should have put Tottenham ahead in the first few minutes but blazed over. A constant threat down the left but seemed to run out of steam in the final 20 minutes.
Rodrigo Bentancur – 7 – I can’t give him more than a 7 because he wasn’t on the pitch for that long, but Bentancur looked different class in his cameo. Just keeps Spurs ticking over and looks after the ball so well in those tight pockets. Tottenham went down a gear when he was forced off.
Giovani Lo Celso – 8.5 – Couldn’t ask much more from Lo Celso today. He was both a creative spark in the final third and a fantastic carrier of the ball in the centre of the pitch. I do think his best position is deeper rather than in attack. Took his goal well, albeit with a deflection. Tired towards the end.
Dejan Kulusevski – 8 – Playing a new role today in midfield, Kulusevski was allowed to roam free in the first half before settling in a position on the right of a three in the second. He carried the ball better than anyone and committed defenders every single time he had the ball. Very unlucky not to score in the first ten minutes, but probably his best performance in a long time.
Bryan Gil – 6.5 – Full of energy down the left and you cannot fault his commitment. He ran his socks off and he really hasn’t played much football this year. Ultimately lacked the final pass or shot and ran out of steam in the end, but he has done his reputation no harm with that performance.
Heung-min Son – 6 – Barely in the game today beyond sticking the ball in the back of the net three times for offside goals. Aston Villa defended the centre of their box very well and Son was engulfed in that number nine position. Might have been better to let him drift wide a bit more.
Brennan Johnson – 6 – Had a lot of space to operate in down the right and also had a lot of joy in the first 30 minutes, but his end product wasn’t up to scratch today. Too many overhit crosses and wasted one good chance through on goal.
Substitutes:
Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg – 5 – Never quite got up to the pace of the game and gave the ball away far too much. The drop-off from Bentancur to Hojbjerg was very noticeable.
Oliver Skipp – 5 – Came on to add some fresh legs but did little more than that.
Alejo Veliz – N/A
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